CLARKE FURY
Killie boss rages at ref for ‘joke’ decisions And slams fans’ sectarian chants
STEVE CLARKE was left seething last night as he launched a verbal volley on ‘joke’ referee Alan Muir and then hit out at Rangers fans after he was the victim of sectarian chanting during a heavy Scottish Cup defeat at Ibrox.
Alfredo Morelos netted four goals and Andy Halliday the other as Kilmarnock were swept aside by Steven Gerrard’s side in a fifth-round replay to set up a pulsating quarter-final with Aberdeen.
But Rugby Park boss Clarke insisted his side
should have had a penalty in the opening moments with the game at 0-0 when Eamonn Brophy was hauled back in the box by Joe Worrall. And referee Muir left the visitors further incensed when he red-carded Killie keeper Daniel Bachmann for raising his arms to Glen Kamara.
Clarke then gestured sarcastically to Rangers fans as they branded him a ‘sad Fenian b ****** ’ towards the end of the match.
The Killie boss revealed he had been approached over becoming the manager at Rangers prior to Gerrard’s appointment — and had been assured by the Ibrox club that sectarianism was a thing of the past.
In an astonishing outburst, Clarke said sarcastically: ‘It’s nice being back in the west of Scotland — really nice. When I was approached by Rangers about taking over the job here I was assured: “Nah, we didn’t have that in the west of Scotland anymore. It has gone”. Hahaha!
‘They can call me a b ****** or w ***** but to call me a Fenian b ****** ? Come on!
‘We’re living in the dark ages. They’re not allowed to call my assistant a black ‘b’ but they can call me a Fenian b ****** ? Is that correct? What are we doing in Scotland?
‘I wake up every morning and I thank Chelsea for taking me away from the west of Scotland. My children and grandchildren have nothing to do with this, thankfully.’
A Rangers spokesperson said later: ‘Rangers Football Club wishes to make it clear unacceptable behaviour will not be tolerated at Ibrox. Everything possible will continue to be done to eradicate this kind of behaviour.’
Clarke also blamed referee Muir for ruining Kilmarnock’s chance of reaching a quarter-final tie with Aberdeen at Pittodrie.
‘It’s the story of the match,’ he seethed. ‘If the penalty had been given in the first two minutes it would have been different.
‘The red card is a joke — a joke! The goalie just lifted his arms. Every goalie does that every week. It’s embarrassing. If that’s the standards we might as well go home. Why speak about it? It’s every week, every other week.
‘You’ll probably write: “Morelos scored four goals” but the officials decided this game. It’s embarrassing! Am I talking about decisions going against Kilmarnock? I’m talking in general. There are bad decisions. All we talk about is our refs. How can I talk about football tonight? It doesn’t matter when it comes — a penalty is a penalty. Thirty seconds in or 30 seconds into injury time — it’s a penalty so just give it!’
Rangers boss Gerrard, meanwhile, hailed four-goal Morelos after the Colombian returned from his latest ban to inspire Rangers.
Gerrard said: ‘It was good to have Alfredo back. He showed his importance to the team and his quality. They were fantastic goals and that’s why he’s been sorely missed on occasions.
‘When he’s not been available we’ve sometimes not had that same threat. I felt we were a lot better than we were at the weekend. The fans and myself got the reaction we were looking for tonight. The players won the fans back over after the weekend. People will talk about the advantage but I thought we were super when it was 11 v 11.
‘We got in front and I thought we built on that lead. When the ref sent off the Kilmarnock keeper we never rested on our laurels.
‘We kept going all the way and that’s what pleased me the most tonight.
‘But, for me, you have to approach every game with that same mentality. That’s when you can go on a run of games to be successful.’
Gerrard did not agree with Killie boss Clarke that Brophy should have had a penalty at 0-0 after being hauled back by Worrall in the box.
‘I think Kilmarnock are entitled to have an opinion,’ he said. ‘But I actually thought it was offside before that. Joe’s hand did go across the player but as strong as Brophy is I’m not sure he should go down, so it’s debatable.’
Meanwhile, former Celtic striker Chris Sutton praised Clarke for speaking out.
He tweeted: ‘I love Scottish football but Steve Clarke is spot on to call out sectarian abuse. It is still a huge issue and we shouldn’t bury our heads in the sand. The people dishing out the abuse should be called out for what they are and dealt with. It is disgusting.’